NFL roundup: Eagles owner says 8-8 record will not save Reid's job

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeAugust 30, 2012

The Philadelphia Eagles owner said the team needs to do better than the 8-8 record it posted last year or coach Andy Reid would be fired, the Philadelphia Daily News reported. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said on Thursday that he expects substantial improvement this season and another 8-8 season would not be enough for Reid to keep his job. "No, it would not," Lurie said, according to the Daily News. Lurie backed off that a little bit when asked whether that would still apply if the Eagles were hit with a rash of injuries. "I'm not going to make blanket statements...I guess if two-thirds of the team is not playing, there's always exceptions," he said. But there was no doubt that, barring extreme circumstances, another .500 season would not cut it. Reid's current contract expires after the 2013 season, and Lurie said he would not consider an extension until after the season. Reid's son Garrett died during the summer, but Lurie said the team's personal feelings for Reid and his family situation would not be a factor in determining Reid's job status. "He will always have our sympathy and support," Lurie said. "But this is a business. You're there to win and win big. You have to separate the two."

---Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt has been suspended for one game by the NFL, the Tennessean reported Thursday based on sources. The suspension resulted from several brushes with the law, the latest being a July 20 arrest for driving under the influence. Britt met with NFL officials on Aug. 6 to discuss the latest incident. He has been involved in eight incidents that required police involvement since being drafted in 2009. Britt was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday. He has had three knee surgeries since tearing his anterior-cruciate ligament last September. Britt had 17 catches for 289 yards in his three games - all as a starter - before getting injured last season.

---The NFLPA agreed to the NFL proposals to amend current rules for injured reserve and move the trade deadline back by two weeks, from the Tuesday after Week 6 (Oct. 16) to the day after Week 8 is completed. Moving the deadline to Oct. 30 was first proposed by owners at the spring meetings in Florida in March. The players' union resisted when owners proposed it as part of a deal that would also increase the number of padded practices teams could have. Owners believe moving the deadline back could spark trade activity similar to what occurs in other major sports. Injured reserve in the past had meant players were out for the season. The new rule allows one revocable injured reserve transaction.

---Retired quarterback Brett Favre shouldn't have to answer embarrassing assertions that two massage therapists have made in a lawsuit, his lawyers said. The massage therapists claim that the New York Jets blacklisted them when they objected to suggestive messages allegedly sent by Favre to another woman. Favre was asked to confirm or deny that he solicited women for sex trysts and sent explicit photos to a former Jets game hostess. The request was part of the process of their 2011 lawsuit.

---The Miami Dolphins had a rough ending to their preseason, and it happened after they lost to the Dallas Cowboys, according to the Miami Herald. They were in for a long night after their team plane backed into another plane near the runway, players said. The team didn't leave the airport until early Thursday morning, when they located a replacement plane. No one was hurt in the mishap, though there was some damage.

---Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt is expected to name either Kevin Kolb or John Skelton as his starting quarterback on Friday, the Sporting News reported Thursday. Whisenhunt's decision has been made difficult because Kolb apparently has outperformed Skelton in practice, but Kolb has not played as well as Skelton in preseason games.